Some may raise their eyebrows and look upon me with scorn whenever seeing me rating a Hallmark festive film quite highly and reviewing it mostly positively. Will say right now that Hallmark's output, whether to do with Christmas or with nothing to do with it, is very inconsistent. Their festive output in 2019 was very much so too, most it being in between mediocre and slightly above average. Kellie Martin and Colin Ferguson have been good in other things, Ferguson especially is nearly always a redeeming quality and is well above a lot of what is given to him.
'Christmas in Montana', and do concur with what others have said, is one of the hits as far as 2019 Christmas Hallmark efforts go. A surprise one. 'Christmas in Montana' absolutely is predictable as heck (said that as a word of warning for those that don't like that) and has a couple of things that can be seen in a good deal of Hallmark's output, but is still engaging, is well performed and it looks good. Which cannot be said for some of Hallmark Christmas films. This is coming from someone that loves film of all decades and genres (even if a fair share of decades and genres have misses there are many classics too), so always watches their output with an open mind and knowing what to expect.
As said, the story has no innovative ideas, all seen before in a vast majority of their output, and the film doesn't really do anything new with them. Making everything feel obvious and very foreseeable before it happens. This is including the ending, which also felt a bit convenient.
Like other Hallmark festive efforts, the music could have done with a toning down. It didn't need to be used as much as it was and at times was too loud. Some of the pacing lags in some uneventful stretches in the middle and the supporting characters are sketchily developed.
Despite those not so good things, an even larger part of me could not be too hard on 'Christmas in Montana'. It is beautifully filmed and the scenery is nothing short of magical, the film also capturing the feel of the setting and the occasion. The script flows naturally and doesn't have as much of the corn and cheese that other Hallmark Christmas films do, it has subtly amusing moments and doesn't go overboard on the sentiment.
The story is very predictable, but it is also incredibly charming and very heart-warming. The feel good vibe is also strong and the pace generally isn't too slow. The direction has breathing space but doesn't wallow too much thankfully and does a nice job with the character interaction. Martin performs with cute and heartfelt understatement, with no signs of overplaying or going through the motions. Ferguson is a solid as rocks and charming partner and they do have genuine spark together. Their relationship is sweet without being saccharine and doesn't suffer from taking too long to develop or events happening out of the blue.
Overall, nicely done and one of Hallmark's better 2019 Christmas films. 7/10
